What is the most unusual material that you have machined?

[sdelivery]

I set up a Beryllium lab for one of my previous employers.
Being " maintenance "
We moved the machines in installed and maintained.
I rebuilt and modified for our use a gun drill...and ran it.
We machined pure BERYLLIUM and ALBEMET.
Our parts were in the space telescope repair and various missiles.

 

[MrWhoopee]

I've also used nails, 10d sinkers. No problems, though they weren't all that straight.
Polyethylene from recycled poly-pipe
ABS from recycled drain pipe
G10 glass epoxy
Beryllium copper

 

[jbobb1]

Welded and machined a ton of Stellite. Our method of finishing it was not typical at all. Nasty stuff.
Had to make special grade carbon bushings for a large industrial bake oven. The only thing that made the job profitable was to use polycrystalline diamond inserts. And it was one dirty job!
Not the hardest thing but Ampco 45 bronze was a bear.

 

[MrWhoopee]

Not the hardest thing but Ampco 45 bronze was a bear.

Amen, brother!

 

[markba633csi]

Human flesh, although I wouldn't recommend it-
(a slight accident)
-M

 

[Spajo]

Human flesh, although I wouldn't recommend it-
(a slight accident)
-M

Oh no.

 

[homebrewed]

Glass-filled epoxy molding compound, the stuff used to encapsulate IC's. The most fun way to "machine" it was with our laser decapslation machine. It used a Q-switched diode-pumped YAG laser. The whole unit was a 4' W x 8' D x 5' H metal box on wheels.

The fumes and glass particles generated by the process were _really_ nasty. We had a two-stage filter for that. First stage was a HEPA filter, followed by an activated-charcoal filter. The exhaust air from the filter went through the same system used by our chemical fume hoods.

 

[Lo-Fi]

Cut a coconut with a power hacksaw. Can't remember why... I'll try and find a pic

 

[Spajo]

Cut a coconut with a power hacksaw. Can't remember why... I'll try and find a pic

Coconuts -- that is off the beaten path. Making bowls?

Now that you said that, I tried to turn down a piece of deer antler. That stuff is amazingly hard on the outside.

Spajo

 

[Spajo]

Glass-filled epoxy molding compound, the stuff used to encapsulate IC's. The most fun way to "machine" it was with our laser decapslation machine. It used a Q-switched diode-pumped YAG laser. The whole unit was a 4' W x 8' D x 5' H metal box on wheels.

The fumes and glass particles generated by the process were _really_ nasty. We had a two-stage filter for that. First stage was a HEPA filter, followed by an activated-charcoal filter. The exhaust air from the filter went through the same system used by our chemical fume hoods.

A YAG can evaporate a lot of stuff!!
Spajo